Easthampton man gets 5 years probation in death of teen-ager he bought alcohol for

Photo by Bob Stern / The RepublicanTImothy E. Parent, of Easthampton, appears in Hampshire Superior Court this afternoon after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the alcohol-related death of Alexis E. Garcia.

This is a 6 p.m. update of a story posted at 4:14 this afternoon.

By FRED CONTRADA
fcontrada@repub.com

NORTHAMPTON - In a case the prosecution called unique, an Easthampton man was sentenced to five years probation today after he pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter after admitting he supplied the vodka that resulted in the death of 15-year-old Alexis Garcia.

Timothy E. Parent, 47, also pleaded guilty to two counts of procuring alcohol for a minor, but it was the manslaughter charge that was unprecedented, according to Northwestern Deputy First Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Dunphy Farris. Parent was sentenced to the five years probation on that count.

Garcia, an Easthampton High School student, died from drowning and alcohol poisoning after drinking shots of vodka in her Monska Drive home on Feb. 2, 2007.

As Dunphy Farris recited the evidence to Hampshire Superior Court Judge Bertha D. Josephson, Garcia and Parent's 15-year-old daughter had filled a 20-ounce bottle with vodka from a bottle in Parent's garage earlier that afternoon.

Parent had bought the vodka at his daughter's request in January for a party she threw after an Easthampton boys basketball game, Dunphy Farris said. Five other minors consumed the alcohol Parent bought at that party, she said.

The two girls drank the bottle of vodka, chasing the shots with root beer, Dunphy Farris said. Some time after 3 p.m., Garcia, who planned to go out later that night, told her friend she was going to take a shower. When she did not come out of the bathroom, the friend went to check on Garcia and found her submerged in the shower. The girl called 911 but Garcia was pronounced dead later that evening.

An autopsy showed that Garcia's blood alcohol level was .33 percent, several times the legal driving limit of .08 percent.

According to Dunphy Farris, Parent had previously bought alcohol for his older daughter when she was underage. A friend of that daughter told investigators that he had purchased vodka and other liquor for them on about 10 occasions.

Although involuntary manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, the prosecution and defense agreed on a sentence of five years probation.

Dunphy Farris said later that the case, to her knowledge, was the first in which alcohol was cited for wanton and reckless action resulting in the death of another. In adopting the recommended sentence, Josephson noted that the outcome would have been uncertain if the case had gone to trial.

Nonetheless, Garcia's family told the judge that they were disappointed in the recommendation and wanted a more severe punishment for Parent. Robin C. Fortier, Garcia's aunt, read a statement on behalf of the family that described Garcia as "vibrant, loving, caring and kind."

"She proved that great things can come in small packages," Fortier said, citing her niece's height of four feet, ten inches.

"We had visions of Lexie being handed her high school diploma and turning to us with that infectious smile she had," Fortier said. "These moments now have no chance of becoming reality."

Defense lawyer David P. Hoose told Josephson that his client assumed responsibility for his actions and cooperated with police from the beginning. Parent insisted on pleading guilty despite the legal uncertainty of the charge, he added.

"It's rare for a defendant who has legitimate defenses available to him to refuse to pursue them," Hoose said.

Josephson fined Parent $500 for each of the two counts of procuring alcohol for a minor. He was ordered to serve 350 hours of community service during each of his five years of probation and to refrain from using drugs and alcohol.